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Click on the picture to watch an audio slideshow of a hike to Hraunsvatn lake in Öxnadalur valley in north Iceland, which lies at a height of 490 meters, interlocked between two steep mountains and a small glacier with a view of the majestic Hraundrangar peaks.
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Fjallabyggd (“Mountain Settlement”) is a skier’s dream. Its slopes are perfect for slaloming and there are also tracks for telemark skiing. Winter sporting enthusiasts can also go ice skating or rent snowmobiles. In summer, Fjallabyggd turns into a paradise for hikers. Read this special promotion about one of Iceland’s best hidden gems.
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There are speculations that some members of the Social Democrats are interested in forging a new coalition government with the Progressive Party in addition to the Left-Greens. The current Social Democrat-Left-Green coalition is described as fatigued.
According to Morgunbladid’s sources, Foreign Minister Össur Skarphédinsson and some unspecified MPs of the Social Democrats have discussed this idea with unspecified MPs of the Progressive Party in the past two weeks.
“It has been mentioned now and then,” confirmed chairman of the Progressive Party Sigmundur Davíd Gunnlaugsson, adding that he is not interested in a three-party coalition.
“The current government has a majority. If people believe that majority isn’t sufficient under these circumstances, a national government [a coalition of all parties] would be the more logical possibility,” Gunnlaugsson said.
The reason for the Social Democrats being interested in reinforcement from the Progressive Party is allegedly dissatisfaction with the Left-Greens being reluctant to make decisions and authorize operations.
The only person who the Social Democrats trust from the ranks of the Left-Greens is said to be Finance Minister Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, who is not considered to be able to control his own party.
No Left-Green MP has taken part in the informal coalition talks with the Progressive Party, although the Left-Greens are rumored to be aware of these talks and equally irritated at their coalition partner as the Social Democrats.
A Social-Democrat-Left-Green coalition took over when the Independence Party-Social Democrat coalition split one year ago.
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A series of meetings about the Icesave dispute ended in The Hague in the Netherlands on Friday. The representatives of Iceland, the Netherlands and the UK discussed the matter on Thursday and Friday but came to no decisive conclusion.
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Attentive commuters in the capital region have noticed strange behavior among some people on roundabouts lately. Police say these people are likely picking psilocybin mushrooms, which is an annual event at this time of year, and not strictly illegal.
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Singer-songwriter Jónsi of Sigur Rós has been nominated for the 2010 World Soundtrack Awards for the best originally composed song in a movie. The nomination is for the song “Sticks & Stones” which is in How to Train Your Dragon.
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Emails between the management team at FL-Group seem to indicate that assets sold to Northern Travel Holding (NTH) at year end 2006 were overvalued on purpose to deceive stakeholders about the real condition of the companies involved in the transactions. Among the assets being transferred were the Danish budget airline Sterling and Iceland Express.
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The second issue of the print edition of Iceland Review 2010 has just been published. Entitled “Under the Volcano” the magazine dedicates 20 pages, words and pictures, to the volcanic eruption in Eyjafjallajökull glacier which made headlines all over the word. New subscribers will receive the book Puffins as a gift and all subscribers are part of a draw to win a trip to Iceland. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
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REVIEWS
Future of Hope is an aptly named documentary directed by Henry Bateman about what some people are doing to shape the future of Iceland, hoping that above all, the crisis will ultimately strengthen the country.
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There can’t be many novels that are heralded as being “a purification for body and soul” recommended to “those who enjoy experimental cookery” (review of November Rain in DV newspaper) and “as beautiful as a painting from the golden age” (review of The Offspring by Danish newspaper Politiken). However, Reykjavík based writer, Audur Ava Ólafsdóttir, has attracted such attention not to mention literary prizes.
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Have a laugh this week by visiting Hafnarborg, the Hafnarfjördur Centre of Culture and Fine Art, where the exhibition “Humor in Icelandic Art” is currently running. The exhibition consists of works by contemporary Icelandic artists from different generations which deal with humor and irony.
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